Monday, April 17, 2017

Planning a Revival

I don't get the mail everyday at the church property. I look in the mailbox about four out of the seven days. If there is something important for me, or that interests me, I pull it out. Once or twice a week, I take everything out and throw most of it away. I kept the brochure from First Baptist Church of Hammond, titled, "The Great Summer Revival." A big Billy Sunday in traditional pose silhouettes the background. It is the 2017 youth conference, occurring July 18-20.

So, revival will occur. It is planned for July 18-20, not July 16 or June 17. I saved the brochure because this is a common idea. Is it a delineating factor for revivalists? I think so. Revivalists plan revivals. You can make that call, revival will occur, because there is a formula to cause it to occur.

You suggest revival will occur, use upbeat music, pack people into a room to polarize the audience, have a certain style of speaking with a particular kind of invitation, and you can guarantee "revival." Revivalism is a set of practices that produce an atmosphere conducive to professions of faith and decisions of dedication. You can count on revivals to occur with necessary conditions being met.

One of the reasons that the professions and decisions are called "revival" is because they are just professions and decisions. They aren't actual salvation and sanctification. They are experiences primed by manufactured, external stimuli, and labeled some type of work of God. Actual, real results are not expected. This point is built into their plans of salvation and doctrinal statement. No real repentance must occur for the revival of revivalism.

You can plan on something that you can make happen. Since it is you making it happen, know then that it isn't God making it happen. God will do things that are of Him, characterized by Him. The planned revivals of revivalism are made by men, using human techniques. They are not revival.

Revival can occur, but it won't have anything to do with our planning of it. If it does occur, those with whom it does occur will be fully cognizant, clear thinking people. They will hear plain, thorough biblical exposition. They will be good soil, with hearts ready to hear. If the soil on which the seed is cast isn't good, no other factor will change the result.

3 comments:

Dear Brother Kent, Most of my life Ive listened to Jacks sermons and his coharts. Curtis Hudson was one of my favorites. In fact, I visited there quite frequently back in the 90's when i was coast to coast trucking.About a year ago I started researching easy believism vrs Lordship salvation. I am still learning about both views. I also watched several hours of testimony and footage of some very untasty and sad accounts of people that are involved with that ministry. I want to share, with some personel reservations about the whole issue.I did visit and attend 3 different churches that were associated with that ministry after I was without a church. Why? Because i was not aware at the time of what had been happening there, and secondly they believed in the KJV.I have close friends that attend all 3. I would say they are wonderful churches with great pastors. It didnt seem that they pushed easy believism alot, but if a person attends these churches you wont escape the Hyles way. Hyles only had one way and it was his way. He is God to the Hyles community,if you dont believe me watch his funeral and make your own decision.I did not get to know the pastors very well- im shy, but they were very nice churches that of course had strong leaders. Thats one positve about alot Hyles grads.I know this post was about revivalism, but I needed to bulldoze that out of the way. Honestly, it almost seems a little cultic the way Hyles promoted and taught his young recruits to spread the gospel. Maybe he is even the father of the mega church phenomena???.Thanks for post. Craig.

Kent, So should churches have Revival Meetings? What do you think of passages like Joel 2 where the prophet calls the people together to get right with God and get back to fulfilling his conditions. Isn't that what Revival is? Meeting God's conditions, namely humbling yourselves, confessing and forsaking and drawing nigh to him? (James 4) Last time I checked, there is a formula for Revival. James 4 lays it out very clearly. If you see revival as just a sovereign act of God that happens arbitrarily then you won't have revival meetings, but if you see Revival as a promised response to believers who humble themselves and pray and seek God's face, then you will cry with the Psalmist, "wilt thou not revive us again" and schedule special times of seeking God's face and presence. Christians can walk in Revival every day and ought to, but as clearly seen in scripture God's people have a tendency to be drawn away and to be deceived or hold on to weights that easily beset them. When a church has young people who are more interested in getting secular jobs like, engineers and accountants than being preachers of righteousness, then something has stolen their hearts then a time of Revival (seeking God) would be wise. A time of preaching strongly against sin, pride, bitterness and lust and love of money and then challenge them to surrender all to the Lord and serve him and rekindle a passion and love for him, this planned meeting can go a long way to accomplishing that end.

Most young people who don't hear regular preaching on surrendering their life to the Lord for full time ministry will not do so. Every time a Revival meeting is planned does not mean revival will happen, but at least they are wanting it. "I will pour water on him who is thirsty." If you don't plan special times of seeking God's reviving, then you will not see revival and it shows that a persons heart is content in mere religion without life or they are enjoying their sins and don't want God's presence.

What American churches need are not more theologians but more people who come into God's reviving presence. When you are in God's presence you will get your theology straightened out.

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About Me

I got lots of learnin when I was in cemetery. I also gots books I try to read. I has preecht throo most of the books of the Bible spositorally. I is marreed and has 4 youngins---3 is gurlz. Me am indipendint Babtist. Pleeez reed my blog.